A Vivid Program of ‘Conga’ and Violin

Strong imagery and lush coloration distinguished the concert Saturday night by the Long Beach Symphony, under the direction of JoAnn Falletta.

Miguel del Aguila’s dreamlike evocations titled “Conga” led the roster at the Terrace Theater with a whirlwind of percussive fantasy anchored with stylish panache by Robert Slack on conga drums. Program notes written by the Uruguayan-born Aguila, who served as pianist in this reading, pointed to a sense of humor, grotesqueness and terror in the piece, which began as a “visual image of an endless line of dead people dancing through the fire of hell.” But even its culminating frenzy and massiveness couldn’t override the sensual festivity of this crowd-pleaser.

Violinist Tomohiro Okumura, winner of the 1993 Naumburg Competition, used his economical technique for a bright, focused performance of Glazunov’s Concerto in A minor, Opus 82. Despite the score’s many opportunities to indulge in romantic shading and pacing, Okumura and his orchestral partners kept to clean, rhythmically decisive playing for results that did not thrill, but did convince with assured purpose.

Falletta drew strong characterizations and much poignancy from her band for Symphony No. 8, in G, by Dvorak, Opus 88. Generously conveying the earthy freshness of the work, she prompted sweeping lines, astute voicing and muscular climaxes. Wind players--particularly principal flutist Larry Kaplan--contributed vivid solos.